Two days later, in the morning.
Qin Ming prepared himself and then exited the courtyard gate.
Outside Qingyang Market.
Qin Ming slapped his storage pouch, and the Top-Grade Spirit Light Shuttle floated before him.
He couldn’t hide his excitement and stepped onto it, then activated his mana.
Whoosh!
The Spirit Light Shuttle transformed into a cyan stream of light and instantly vanished into the sky.
Although this wasn’t Qin Ming’s first time riding a flying spiritual artifact, he was still a bit nervous.
Qin Ming piloted the shuttle, and after a few bumpy moments, he got used to the state and began to navigate smoothly.
Looking at the rapidly retreating scenery below, he felt a sense of joy and carefree ease rise within him.
Below, the Yunze Wilderness stretched with forests and marshes, and towering peaks in layers, shrouded in green hues. Some areas were covered all year round by a toxic miasma that blocked out the sun, like barriers in the heavens, with fierce beasts lurking within.
Half an hour later.
Qin Ming piloted the Spirit Light Shuttle and arrived before a massive mountain range.
The highest peak pierced the clouds, with steep cliffs on both sides, stretching endlessly.
The Cyan Mountain faintly visible, misty and wrapped in haze.
Wisps of smoke and mist coiled around the mountainside, spiraling upward, growing thicker with altitude, and gathering together.
The main peak of Cloud Python Mountain resembled a powerful and majestic Flood Dragon perched atop the sea of clouds.
The branch sect of Spirit Feather Sect resided upon this Tier Two Spirit Vein.
Mountain Peak Immortal Palaces stood tall, with ancient halls and buildings exuding elegance.
Even though this was just a branch sect outpost, it showcased unparalleled grandeur.
As Qin Ming approached with the shuttle, cultivators riding Dharma Ships continuously passed by.
Atop the main peak was a Defense Array, and Qin Ming landed in front of the mountain gate on a massive White Jade Square.
Within the square, a wave of cultivators had already gathered one after another, seemingly invited to attend Elder Zhuang’s lecture.
The cultivators lined up orderly, waiting for identity checks to enter the mountain gate.
When Qin Ming’s turn came, he showed his jade talisman, and after the guards checked, he was allowed to pass. However, seeing Qin Ming was a Spirit Farmer of Spirit Feather Sect, they looked at him a few times.
Qin Ming took the Jade Scroll Guide given by the guards and followed the spiraling stone steps up the mountain path, arriving before a massive hall.
Wuzhen Hall.
This place is where the elders of Spirit Feather Sect usually teach and give lectures.
Qin Ming stepped inside and found the space very spacious, with simple decorations and rows of ancient-style tables and chairs neatly arranged.
At this moment, more than three hundred cultivators had already gathered in the hall, mostly from the main sect of Spirit Feather Sect, also including loose cultivators like him who had come from Qingyang Market.
Many cultivators took the opportunity before the lecture started to gather in groups chatting.
Qin Ming casually chose a seat in the middle to the rear.
There wasn’t much to do at the moment, so he took out a book on Spirit Plants and began reading.
At this time.
A voice sounded behind him.
"Hey, greetings, fellow cultivator. I see you are a Spirit Plant Master of Spirit Feather Sect, right?"
Qin Ming heard and turned around to look, and saw the speaker was a lean middle-aged loose cultivator.
"I am merely a Spirit Farmer," Qin Ming frankly replied.
The lean cultivator appeared surprised, then said, "Then it seems fellow cultivator is truly fortunate to have obtained a jade talisman."
"Alas, it’s different for me. I spent nearly all my assets just to get this jade talisman from Mingzhen Tower, such a rip-off."
The lean cultivator appeared deeply pained, then lowered his voice and said, "Do you know why Elder Zhuang of Spirit Feather Sect suddenly decided to give an open lecture?"
Qin Ming looked confused and shook his head, saying, "No idea."
"Isn’t it said that this open lecture is to select disciples?" A cultivator at a neighboring table chimed in.
The lean cultivator disdainfully glanced at the speaker, then said, "You think these sects are so benevolent, accepting disciples without charging their own, and instead benefiting outsiders?"
"What are you thinking? Too naïve, fellow cultivator!"
Qin Ming frowned at those words, feeling there might be some truth to them.
As the lean cultivator spoke, several cultivators nearby gathered around.
"Fellow Daoist, judging by your expression, it seems you know the inside story. Quickly, tell us more."
The lean cultivator cleared his throat, revealing a hint of satisfaction, and continued to speak in a lowered voice: "As far as I know, Elder Zhuang Xiran of the Spirit Feather Sect, has a strange temperament, not fond of displaying his force, yet his strength is unfathomable."
"He seldom involves himself in sect affairs, spending years absorbed in the Path of Spiritual Plants, without offspring, and he has only three disciples, two being Tier One High-Grade Spirit Plant Masters, the other a Tier One Middle-Grade Spirit Plant Master."
"However, it’s said that his three disciples, in comparison to disciples of other elders, are much inferior in Spirit Plant Mastery."
"This instance of publicly offering lessons and recruiting disciples is undoubtedly with a motive."
At this point, the lean cultivator stopped, looking around at the cultivators who had gathered, piquing everyone’s curiosity.
"Hey, don’t play riddles! Just tell us already! The lecture will start soon."
The lean cultivator revealed a meaningful smile and asked the group: "Do you know the final challenge for advancing to Tier Two Spirit Plant Master?"
"Of course, isn’t it the Plant Illusion Realm Trial?" the crowd responded in unison.
The lean cultivator shook his head, then mysteriously revealed a surprising piece of information to those present.
"You only know the surface, not the depth. The Plant Illusion Realm resides within the Spirit Feather Sect, and every ten years, a few strands of the legendary ’Mother Qi of Ten Thousand Woods’ are born."
"This ’Mother Qi of Ten Thousand Woods’ is incredibly beneficial even for Tier Two Spirit Plant Masters."
"Those Spirit Plant Masters who perform outstandingly in the Plant Illusion Realm Trial have the chance to obtain a strand of the Mother Qi within the realm."
"I believe Elder Zhuang’s grand gesture this time must be aimed at this Mother Qi."
"In a few years, the Plant Illusion Realm will reach another ten-year cycle, so this time, cultivators below Tier One Middle-Grade Spirit Plant Master have no chance of becoming Elder Zhuang’s disciples. At best, they can listen to the two-day lessons to gain some Spirit Plant knowledge."
The lean cultivator’s words had just ended.
"What? Why didn’t you say so earlier?"
"I am only a Low-Grade Spirit Plant Master..."
"Alas, so am I!"
"Forget it, I’ll treat it as spending a hefty sum to attend a Tier Two High-Grade Spirit Plant Master’s lecture to better my understanding, it’s worth it."
Amidst the crowd, a burst of sighing erupted.
Upon hearing this, Qin Ming fell into contemplation; his primary objective was to pass the Plant Illusion Realm assessment and smoothly achieve advancement to a Tier Two Spirit Plant Master.
As for the ’Mother Qi of Ten Thousand Woods’...
"Ah, I’ll deal with that when the time comes!"
Whether Elder Zhuang Xiran will even consider him is uncertain.
Though he is currently a young Middle-Grade Spirit Plant Master,
after all, Spirit Feather Sect does have quite a few extraordinarily talented disciples.
In the midst of the crowd’s whispered conversations.
a.m. had arrived.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The bronze bell outside Wuzhen Hall chimed three times.
Under the attentive gaze of many cultivators.
An elder with crane-like hair and youthful face stepped into the hall, hands clasped behind him. Instantly, a terrifying Foundation Establishment Stage aura descended abruptly.
The hall immediately became silent, with not a sound to be heard.
Elder Zhuang Xiran, donned in a gray-white Daoist robe, with hair and beard all white, a rosy complexion, profound eyes, bearing an otherworldly aura of wisdom and grace.
Qin Ming also, for the first time, beheld a high-caliber Foundation Establishment cultivator, inevitably finding his heart spirit slightly shaken.
Elder Zhuang Xiran took the main seat at the center and slowly began to speak: "I presume everyone here is a Spirit Plant Master."
"Then, before I begin the lecture, I wish to ask a question."
"What is a Spirit Plant Master?"
...
Meanwhile.
Ten miles outside the Spirit Feather Sect’s mountain gate, at a concealed mountain hollow.
Five masked cultivators draped in black robes stood at the edge of a cliff, gazing distantly at the direction of the Spirit Feather Sect.
"Big brother, who would have thought that the old man with the surname Zhuang teaching a lesson could draw in such a crowd, there seem to be quite a few fat sheep inside!"
"Should we..."
The tall cultivator standing among the five spoke indifferently: "First, let’s handle the main task. Didn’t you listen to what I said?"
These words made the black-robed cultivator who had just spoken shiver and fall silent, uttering no more.